Aug 29, 2025 - News
Washington sees growth in undocumented immigrant population, per Pew
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Undocumented immigrants made up nearly 5% of Washington state's population in 2023, according to a new Pew study.
- That was the eighth highest share among U.S. states, and ninth highest when including Washington, D.C.
The big picture: The increase in Washington's unauthorized immigrant population mirrors nationwide trends.
- The U.S. saw a sharp jump in unauthorized immigrants during the first two years of Joe Biden's presidency, Axios' Russell Contreras reports.
Zoom in: In 2015, Pew estimated Washington was home to about 250,000 undocumented immigrants, or about 3.5% of the state's population.
- By 2023, that number had climbed to 375,000, Pew found — roughly 4.7% of the state's population.
Go deeper: Unauthorized immigrant population hit record 14M in 2023, analysis finds